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Typhoid cases have increased by 69 per cent in recent years, fuelled by more people travelling to exotic locations, doctors have warned.

The figures, issued by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), show that 248 typhoid cases were reported in England and Wales in 2006, up from just 147 in 2002.

Caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, the disease can be life-threatening unless patients receive prompt treatment with antibiotics.

The new figures have raised concerns about the number of people obtaining travel vaccinations and health experts are now attempting to raise the profile of immunisation through the Valuing Vaccines campaign.

Dr Jane Zuckerman, director of the Centre for Travel Medicine at London's Royal Free Hospital, told the BBC that the level of public ignorance was 'extremely worrying'.

'We have seen vaccine-preventable diseases like typhoid on the increase because people travel abroad to endemic areas without being vaccinated and return sick to the UK,' she explained.